On Thursday July 19, the Women’s Fund of Rochester hosted their Mid-Summer Soiree. Over 100 guests strolled the gardens of Meadow Brook Hall while enjoying hors d’oeuvres, wine, and listening to the music of Maestro Harry Hovakimian. Moceri Companies, Dillman and Upton, Frank Rewold & Son and Ray Lighting Centers were among the sponsors of the evening’s event.
The Women’s Fund was established in 2000. The fund was started by 100 women whose mission was to create a powerful legacy within the local community through an endowed fund that enhanced the lives of women in need through focused grant making. Over the years, the Women’s Fund has distributed over $300,000 to programs, assisting women in need through local non-profits.
The Women’s Fund 2018 Board Members – Erika Kruse, Christina Hogan, Lynn Oates, Barb Cenko, Kelly Dean, Sue Upton (President), Lynn Florek, Kathy McCarter, Kathy Bogdziewicz (Vice President), Lori Roscoe, Judy De Steiger – Photo Courtesy of Part of Life Photography
The 2017 Grant recipients included:
Career Dress, who promotes the economic independence of low- to moderate-income women by providing professional attire to women actively seeking employment received a $7500 grant. The money was used to support their program, “Motoring Women Through Unemployment.” The program provided gas cards or bus passes to women seeking employment or who have become newly employed.
The Rochester Area Neighborhood House is a non-profit human service organization founded by communities of faith in 1968. They assist their neighbors during times of hardship, partnering with the community and other social service providers to help those neighbors in financial crisis toward self-sustainability. The $5000 award helped fund their Intermediate Shelter for Homeless Women and Children Emergency Financial Assistance Program.
Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan, a non-profit, all volunteer organization whose goal is to clothe, feed, educate and comfort children and adults through community-based projects received a $2,500 grant to support their Assault Survivor Kits program. The grant provided funding to purchase supplies such as clothes and hygiene items for the individual survivor kits.”
As the Women’s Fund approaches its 20th Anniversary, its goal is to reach the million dollar mark. Over the years, the Women’s Fund has evolved to meet the changing needs of the community and the changing interest of its donors – but there is one thing that has endured – The Women’s Fund is an endowment fund. It is a legacy of caring and it is a legacy of giving. It serves a generation of women and will continue to serve future generations of women.
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